A New Nation Will be Born on Saturday

Did you know that the world will give birth to a new country this coming Saturday?  South Sudan becomes the world's newest country this weekend. and its upcoming challenges will take a back seat to the euphoria surrounding the historic moment.

Before the young government can truly focus on the monumental task building a nation from scratch, it must first figure out a way to manage a range of pressing security issues.

If South Sudan's government does not seize the "independence moment" to begin a new chapter in the region's history, then it risks fulfilling the doomsday prophecies fueled by the northern government and other actors opposed to southern secession.

"Posturing along the border makes clear that [conflict] with the North is not over on July 9," says Zach Vertin, a Sudan analyst for the International Crisis Group, referring to ongoing North-South hostilities, such as running battles in the northern border state of South Kordofan and the tense stalemate over the contested Abyei region. "While there will undoubtedly be continued security attention in those areas, at the same time focus increasingly has to turn to the domestic situation both in political and security terms."

South Sudan will also have decisions to make with oil.  Oil represented 98 percent of total revenues for the year and 90 percent of export earnings coming into 2011.

Also, South Sudan will face the challenge of allowing multiple voices to speak. South Sudan will face international and internal pressures to move beyond the one-party model that allows the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) to dominate.

Experts and government officials will be keeping a keen eye on the happenings in South Sudan.  The coming weeks will tell us a lot.